I have a variety of things I like to read. I am a subscriber to a magazine service called Readly. It's great - you pay £9.99 per month, and can access hundreds of magazines from a range of countries. The service can be shared over four accounts on four devices (iPads, Kindles, etc.) , so all the family can get involved. It really has been a success in our house! I will go in to detail a little more on Readly in a separate post, but just to let you know a lot of my reading time goes on that. I also have paid subscriptions to National Geographic and The Economist. Plenty to keep me busy.
And magazines are great, but my heart lies with books. I love books - the feel of them, the look of them.. Stop. They are heaven. There is nothing I love more than visiting Waterstones, and more times than I care to remember I have been dragged away mid-browse. As you will likely discover, I have a little tendency to organise. I love to plan, organise and obsess, when necessary. And books is one area of my life that is militarily planned. I plan a season of reading and love working through my to-read list, ticking the books off as I go.
So today I want to present my Autumn TBR (to be read) list. I will do a full review of these as I read them, but this list will take me up to the end of November, and my winter list will start. (You see how this is going....)
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| Autumn TBR |
1. Love, Ellen by Betty deGeneres
I read Ellen deGeneres' autobiography (Seriously, I'm Kidding - the fourth one?) not too long ago and I liked it. I really like her as a personality, and I find her very warm and funny. I am looking forward to this book, as it chronicles the struggle Ellen faced from her mother's point of view, and the backlash she faced when she came out. Betty deGeneres has gone on to become a gay rights activist and it will be an interesting read, I think.
2. Nora Webster by Colm Tobin
I fell in love with Tobin's Brooklyn a few years ago, and I believe it is currently in production for the big screen, which makes me very happy. I love reading a book and then watching it adapted to screen, comparing what was in your head to what you are seeing as someone else's vision. Anyway, I have heard really good things about Nora Webster, and I'm looking forward to reading this one. This novel follows recently widowed Nora as she battles with her new situation with four kids in Wexford. A nominee for a slew of awards, including Costa book award and the Andrew Carnagie medal.
3. The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer
Never having read anything by this author before, I have little to say about what I can expect! However, I was drawn to this book because of the buzz surrounding it (another slew of nominations - winning Costa Book of the Year in 2013). The blurb doesn't make it very clear what the premise is, and all I know is that mental illness is one of the overriding themes of the novel.
| There's Johnny, right there. |
4. The Shining by Stephen King
Full disclosure... I've never read Stephen King before. Ever. Like, ever, ever. Where have I been? I have seen this film though, and I don't like doing it in that order. But everyone's knows what it's about and I love to have a scary read over Hallowe'en, so I am hoping this will fit the bill nicely.
5. All Involved by Ryan Gattis (Kindle read)This novel is something way different than I could probably say I have ever read before. It is set in LA around the time of the race riots in the early 90s. The author did a lot of research and interviews with gang members around this time, which all feed into his narrative. It's something different - not quite fact and not quite fiction. Really looking forward to this one.
6. 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northrup
I have managed to avoid the film, as I was sure with this I wanted to read the book first. I am very much looking forward (can you look forward to a tale so grim?) to reading this one. Other than the obvious (slavery is the main theme!) I have no idea about any other aspects of this story, so I am looking forward to finding out more about Solomon Northrup. I read Colum McCann's Transatlantic last year, which was one of the most astounding books I have ever read. In it, Frederick Douglass makes an appearance - another well-known victim of slavery. I have his first book on my kindle ready to read, something tells me this book will whet my appetite for further reading on this subject.
So there you have it, my Autumn reading list for 2015. I am really looking forward to these titles, not as mixed as previous reading lists but I do have some non-fiction/fiction mixed in there. I will post reviews of these as I go, and let you know what I thought of them.
Have you read any? Would you recommend any of these in particular? Does anyone else plan their reading lists by season?
Leave me a comment below, I'd love to know. :)
Take care
C
